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If I were a thru-n-thru Opposition or PAP supporter, I would regard what happened to me today — the eve of Nomination Day — at Marina Bay Sands as seriously ominous for the election prospects of whichever side I’m rooting for.

Since I’m not, my losing heavily today at the slot machines doesn’t portend anything for either the Opposition or the PAP.

It simply means I’ve lost all my winnings painstakingly accumulated over many visits plus ploughing in something extra to boot.

I started the day with this cash out ticket (above) from my last visit. Actually, not all that money is winnings. Just $240 are winnings, down from $380 from another visit documented here.

When I had given back the $240 won, I should have stopped. I didn’t. So I lost the $260 which had been fresh money injected during the last visit as I recovered lost ground.

Worse, despite losing everything from the cash-out tix, I still didn’t stop– because one of the casino promoters sashayed up and gave me a card with access to the Ruby Room not usually open to holders of plain red Premier Advantage, the lowest in the pecking order of the cards issued by MBS.

So I decided to add to my losses and visited the Ruby Room, which turned out to be no big deal really apart from the free alcoholic drinks. And my glass of white wine effectively cost me $25 (the money I lost there!), one of the most expensive glasses of wine I’ve ever had, paid by me!

I might have ended losing more had I not have to rush home to catch the final episode of a long running Korean drama on Channel U.

A friend, ST, who arranged to meet me at MBS also did badly.

Could today be the day when MBS decided to “sha” its patrons?

Or could the fact that I started the day by sitting next to not one but three fellow gamblers who had the temerity to ask me to look after their slots while they went to the rest room?

That was most off-putting.

I rejected every request as one, I hate getting friendly with strangers at the casino and two, I didn’t/don’t want to be restricted in my movements. Needless to say, they looked daggers at me which ruined my gambling mood😥

MBS should have notices to forbid slots from being “reserved” unless the person doing the reserving is a staff doing so at the request of a patron!

Whatever the reason for my massive losses today, it can’t be an omen –whether for the PAP or the Opposition!

Or can it? When I should have kept my winnings, I threw them all away and then some! All in the hope of the excitement of winning big!

I’ve tried picking the date for the polls twice already: here and here.

But the first date has come and gone. So fail!

The second date has also become impossible.

This is because there has to be at least 15 days between the day the President dissolves Parliament and issues the Writ of Election , and Polling Day.

Today is already April 16 and there’s no sign of Parliament being dissolved — yet. So my second guess is also dead in the water. So fail again!

But I’m one Sgporean who isn’t afraid of failure, at least teeny, weeny ones.

So, I’m sticking out my scrawny neck again.

Two hot dates have been suggested in a report in the Yahoo website which quotes two political pundits’ views on which date is more likely for GE 2011 day of reckoning.

Director of the Institute of Policy Studies, Ong Keng Yong feels May 7 is more likely, he told The Straits Times, according to the Yahoo site.

Political watcher and law lecturer Eugene Tan, however, felt May 3 is a more likely date for Singapore to go to the polls as it will come just after the goodies from the $3.2 billion Grow and Share Package will be disbursed.

For my money, I would go with Keng Yong’s May 7 date, not least because May 3 would be most unusual as no polling day has ever fallen on a work/week day (at least not in my memory) and May 3 is a Tuesday.

May 3 also comes after a public holiday on May 2 which replaces May 1, the actual public holiday which falls on a Sunday this year, making the following day (ie May 2) a public holiday.

As polling day will also be a public holiday, if it falls on May 3, there would then be two public holidays together, something that happens only for Chinese New Year! And as they would come after a week end, imagine what many Singaporeans will do?

Why, speed away for a short holiday, of course, leaving fewer voters to vote!

Is that what the PAP wants especially when, as a government, it made voting compulsory?

It’s against this backdrop that I will put all my chips on May 7!

All should be unveiled tomorrow or next week at the latest and I would know once and for all if I’ve any chance as a political forecaster in my next career!